KARACHI: A day after police arrested two men accused of working for the Indian intelligence agency RAW, an antiterrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday remanded the suspects in police custody for three days in a case pertaining to possessing illicit weapons and explosives.

The Korangi police had claimed to have arrested suspects Khawar Hussain and Jabir Mushtaq in an intelligence-based raid in Korangi Industrial Area and recovered two grenades and a 9mm pistol with bullets.

On Tuesday, the investigating officer (IO) of the case brought the two suspects before the ATC judge in Clifton amid tight security.

The IO requested the judge to grant their 14-day police remand for further interrogation. However, the court remanded them in police custody for three days and directed the IO to submit a progress report on the next date.

According to a statement, the police and an intelligence agency thwarted a major terrorist plot by apprehending two “high-profile RAW operatives who were involved in terrorism and targeted killings in the city”.

It claimed that they did recce and gathered other details including photographs of their targets assigned by their handlers from abroad. In return, they had received substantial sums of money from foreign bank accounts, it added.

A case was registered against them under Sections 23(1) of the Sindh Arms Act 2013, 4/5 of the Explosive Substance Act read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 at the Korangi Industrial Area police station.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2024